Author's Note: Due to request, I have added a new chapter! Thank you to all who read and reviewed! It really means a lot to me! And thank you to whoever gave me the suggestion of writing from Shizuo's point of view. I hadn't thought of that at all! So please, enjoy the second chapter!

Past the Monster

Shizuo POV

Bang! Bang!

The shots echoed through the alleyway, catching the attention of passersby. Immediately, they scattered, leaving the way open for the shooters to escape. They took off without a second thought. Shizuo blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Suddenly, pain exploded in his stomach and left leg. He let out a pained groan and slowly dropped to his knees. The blond couldn't think clearly; all he was conscious of was the creeping agony that was overcoming his mind. A second later, his usually abundant strength left him; Shizuo collapsed face down on the cold pavement. He managed to turn his head to the side so that he was able to breathe. Crimson blood pooled in the corners of his vision, giving Shizuo something to lock his eyes on. A few heartbeats after seeing his life's blood drain away into the cracks of the concrete, the amber eyes closed, reducing Shizuo's world to nothing but pain and darkness.

"Hey! Hey, are you ok?" An unusually loud voice jerked Shizuo from his nearly unconscious state. He felt a soft touch and groaned to let them know that he heard them. The woman shook his shoulder, seemingly unafraid of him. Shizuo wanted to growl at them; like an injured animal all he wanted to do was crawl away and tend to his wounds. But he had nothing left in him to fight the person that kept him awake and able to feel the unwanted throbbing. The ex-bartender heard the voice say something else and ask him if he could sit up. He opened one eye reluctantly, looked at her, and then shut it again. Despite the desire to give in, he responded.

". . . Suppose so." The gentle hands grasped his shoulders and pulled him in an up-right position. Seeking warmth, something that had evaded him after he'd been shot, the blond leaned against the woman. Her arm shifted as she pulled an object from her pocket. As she called someone and spoke to them, Shizuo became slowly aware again. The smell of watermelon wafted through the air; it must be the shampoo the lady used. The conversation, to the injured man's ears, was quick and consisted of nothing more than a few sentences. Meanwhile, the brunette-turned-blond focused on trying to identify the person next to him. After numerous failed attempts, he gave up.

"Help is coming. Don't worry." Shizuo nodded in acknowledgement. Each breath he took pained his chest and he had to bit his lip to keep from making a sound. His amber eyes were closed because light hurt his sensitive eyes. A liquid, wet and sticky, soaked his clothes. Footsteps resounded on the grey pavement and the man heard his name shouted out in a familiar voice. Shizuo had to try really hard to place it. Tom, his employer, he finally settled on. The voice sounded worried, perhaps even scared. Tom struck up a conversation with the woman and Shizuo let himself drift off for a short time. Until he took notice of the woman addressing him.

"So you're Shizuo?" Shizuo didn't feel like talking so he just grunted instead. "What's your last name?" Shizuo couldn't help but think that she was talkative. All he wanted was to sleep, but nonetheless he answered her question, opening his eyes while he did.

"Heiwajima." He waited for the scream, the curse, any sign of her realizing who exactly she sat beside. But it never came. Instead, he heard something that surprised him.

"I like it." She said after repeating his full name. Shizuo was confused. Here beside her was the monster of Ikebukuro. Yet she hadn't left, hadn't screamed, and hadn't even seemed to recognize his name. How was that? Everyone in the district knew who he was; little kids, grown adults, working teens. Maybe she was new and had yet to learn of the horror he was.

"But it sounds familiar. Have we met before?" Tom laughed, almost mocking.

"Have you never heard of him? Shizuo Heiwajima, the strongest man of all of Ikebukuro?" Now she would scream. Now the warmth would leave him. Now he would feel the pain of being alone all over again.

But he didn't.

"Oh. So that's where I heard it from." That was it. No scream of bloody-murder came from her lips, the warmth only seemed to grow stronger, and the all-too-well-known feeling of being abandoned . . . missing. A sigh escaped from his lips as his amber eyes slid shut. Hope began to kindle in his chest. Perhaps, after all, there was someone who accepted him; not the beast he was known as. Gently, he felt fingers brush his forehead and his bangs were swept from his eyes. Softly, like a feather. The memories of his mother taking care of him when he was sick began to surface. Longing for something that had been absent for such a long time made Shizuo want to bury his head into the shoulder he leaned upon.

Tom asked a question and the woman, whose name Shizuo struggled to remember, started to answer. But a happy reply cut hers off. Shinra, one of his old high school friends and the underground doctor. The woman shouted out his name and a within the blond's chest he felt a pinprick of pain. What was he to her? But then he heard her explanation; they had only gone to school together and he had helped her once when she got hurt. It was funny; he didn't remember seeing her around. Of course, that mattered little now. The way she spoke to him was different from the way she had spoken to Shizuo. With Shinra, her voice was familiar and relaxed, but still respectful. With Shizuo, it was soft and welcoming, like a warm bed after being stuck in the cold for so long. It held an emotion that the ex-bartender couldn't quite place.

"Shizuo, are you still awake?" Shizuo let out a silent sigh, cursing Shinra for interrupting his thoughts. One amber eye glanced at the brunette.

" . . . Sleepy." mumbled Shizuo in an annoyed voice. But the anger was lost before it could come. He noticed Tom looking at him but ignored the glance. Shizuo went back to trying to recall the name. It was on the tip of his tongue, as though he could taste it. . .

Stinging yanked the blond back to bitter reality. Shizuo wanted to yell as the pain spread from his stomach and his leg. It hurt, badly. Worse than it had before. To try to lessen the pain, he pressed against the body next to him. He felt her arms go around him in comfort. Shizuo relaxed in her arms, the pain chased away by the warmth of Mizuki. Mizuki. The name whispered in his head repeatedly in a reassuring song. Burying his head in her shoulder, he slowly drifted into a light slumber. In his half-conscious state, he felt the gentle hand caressing his face and the arm around his shoulder holding him against her. Tom and Shinra started to talk, and Shizuo started to wake up sluggishly. As he did, he felt something soft touch his forehead. He opened his eyes in time to see the brunette woman lean away with a smile on her face. Realizing what she'd done, his cheeks reddened. But deep down, he was happy. Out of the whole population of Ikebukuro, here was one woman beside him who didn't see a monster. She saw a man by the name of Shizuo Heiwajima.

And he knew that, without a doubt, she loved him. Monster or not.

Author's Note: Sorry for those who wanted it to be longer! I tried my best to keep Shizuo in character so feel free to tell me if I did or not. Also, I will be writing a parallel story to this one that involves Izaya. Make sure to keep an eye out for it. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me how I did!